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"I told you he's sneaky." Naruto snickered, cracking his knuckles with the most painful, god-awful sound that ever hit his teammates' ears. Sasuke cringed so hard that his teeth nearly cracked and Sakura smacked the back of his head.
"We just made Chūnin. I hope you are ashamed of yourself for using the term "sneaky" to describe your own penis when you are supposed to be in a social situation." Sakura declared, followed by Sasuke's vigorous nodding. Naruto's shoulders slumped and he puckered his lower lip.
"You guys are just plain mean."
"Cry me a fucking river, idiot." Sasuke huffed, rubbing his eyes. "Orochimaru has been forcing me to read on blades made since the Sage of Six paths and Kabuto is showing pathetic attempts to bully me."
"The poor sod." Sakura said in a flat tone. If anything, the Uchiha clan had a particular talent of bullying people mercilessly until they surrender and visit a therapist. Starting with the high-grand meanie himself, Fugaku and extending to the likes of Daisuke the Elder. Sasuke's talent of making grown people cry morbidly fascinated her from time to time. Naruto pouted again and crossed his arms.
"Jiraiya says my penis jokes are cool."
"Really, bitch?" Sakura snorted. She slammed money on the desk and got up. "Well, I have a shift at the hospital in an hour so see you later. Don't blow up the village just because you're not under my supervision."
"I am a grown ass Chūnin who can take care of myself!" Naruto shouted, causing Teuchi to give him the dirtiest yet somehow equally concerned look ever. Sasuke shook his head. Sakura marveled at the fruits of nepotism for a moment and just rolled her eyes. She walked several paces to the hospital and immediately changed for her shift.
She just finished mixing an antidote for scorpion poison when Tsunade barged into the door with a glass of sake and a fresh newspaper.
"Good afternoon, Tsunade-shīso!"
"I wish." She murmured, slamming her body into the chair by the window. "Sakura, you will get high from the fumes." She fussed, creaking open a large window. A gust of wind covered the lab, reminding Sakura that spring is here. Her dad passed away last winter, his heart taking him to the civilian graveyard in the outskirts of Konoha. Her mother left a piece of herself out there, too. A civilian lifestyle usually meant long, happy marriages and safe lives. Alas, the happiest marriage she ever witnessed between two people was indeed one that consisted of two shinobi, her Genin sensei and one of the hospital leaders. Rin and Kakashi were made for each other, expecting a baby boy this season. Sakura craved the presence of a new life, of warm weather and warm hearts.
"Sakura, say, would you mind taking a slight change from your hospital shifts? The pay is nice and you'd still have time to study."
"Hm?" She said, nearly letting out a pained squeak. She was absolutely not ready to leave the safety of the ice cold, sterile white walls of the Shinobi General. Tsunade's office was basically her second room, the lab was a new living room, the staff her family, the patients her neighbours. Although, a thickened paycheck will be nice because she craved some independence.
"Minato called me yesterday to complain about the lack of Chūnin who work with sensitive documents in the Hokage tower. Say, would you be willing to help your Hokage out?"
"Isn't that Izumo and Hagane’s job?" She scrunched her nose, dissatisfied with the idea of becoming a desk ninja. Sakura didn’t crawl on her bloody knees for years in the Academy, only to be put on the same team as a member of the Uchiha clan and the Hokage’s son, then spend weeks getting her bones broken by Tsunade, only for her to end up working a dead-end job at a desk.
"No. They handle official shit. This one is for handling dangerous stuff that might be poisoned or potentially S-class. You can still practise and have time for your medical work. How does that sound?"
Sakura paced for a second before nodding yes. The Gods want her more out and more involved. She didn't particularly look forward to being crammed up in a secret basement for a while, all alone, but the pay and the information she could get… Her mouth was basically salivating. She put down the plumeria coloured vial and turned to her master.
“When do I start?”
“You can start tomorrow. Wear your uniform and be on your best behaviour.”
“When wasn’t I on my best behaviour?”
“I don’t know. Whenever you, the Uchiha brat and Minato’s blank shot sperm wander around the village rubbish bins mysteriously get set on fire, public property gets destroyed, small children hide in fear…”
“That’s not…” Sakura deadpanned.
“Anyway, I hope you have time to take Shizune’s ER shift. And by hope, I mean do it immediately. I don’t have time to find a replacement and I don’t want Shizune slobbering and sneezing all over people.”
“Ugh.” Sakura grunted.
“What’s that?”
“Where are the back-up scrubs?”
“Atta girl.”
The ER shift was slow today. A couple of Academy students and Genin sprained limbs, a case of the flu and otherwise nothing interesting. Dressed in atrocious, bubble gum pink scrubs, she went her way through an old-timey textbook, courtesy of Lord First. Hashirama Senju had a unique writing style, you felt as if you were in deep conversation with the man.
“Oenothera biennis has a life span of two years growing to 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) tall.The leaves are lanceolate, 8–18 cm (3–7 in) long and 2–6 cm (3⁄4–2 1⁄4 in) wide, produced in a tight rosette the first year, and spirally on a stem the second year.
Blooming lasts from late spring to late summer. The flowers are hermaphrodite, produced on a tall spike and only last until the following noon. They open visibly fast every evening producing an interesting spectacle, some even calling it an evening primrose. In the now gone Land of Whirlpools, a land particularly close and fond to the author's heart, this plant was used as a national symbol, like we use the cherry blossom in the Land of fire…”
Sakura yawned and closed the book. Learning about the plants can wait, she might just wrap up this boring shift and call her replacement earlier. She heard some shuffling behind the door and went to see what’s going on. To her surprise, her old jōnin-sensei and his wife were standing there. Sakura rolled her eyes immediately.
“Rin-sensei, you’re on maternity leave!” Sakura barked, tired of the fact that this is the sixth time she caught Rin attempting to sneak into the hospital. Kakashi immediately went pale behind his mask and slammed his hands on the counter.
“Sakura, she’s in labour!”
Sakura’s mind immediately went into ER doctor mode. Rin’s due date was in three weeks, which means the baby might be premature. Cracking the wheelchair out of the corner, she put Rin in it and kicked the door open.
“Rin-sensei, stats!”
“My water broke half an hour ago, but I thought I just peed myself because the baby has been pressing my bladder. I think I’m not yet dilated enough.”
“I see. Do you want me to administer epidural drugs?”
“Do you think we have time?”
“I need to perform an exam.” Sakura said, opening the door of the maternity ward. With Kakashi’s help, she put Rin on a bed and helped her change. Sakura did the examination on her own, ignoring the fact she was about to fish through her sensei’s wife's private parts.
“You are just 6 cm dilated, Rin-sensei. No time for epidural drugs.” Sakura said, disappointment lacing her voice. Rin snorted, adjusting herself in the bed. She cringed at an incoming contraction. Kakashi sat down next to Rin, grabbing her hand in concern.
“Is everything going to be okay?” He asked, voice nearly cracking. Sakura nodded.
“No need to worry, Kakashi-sensei. The issue is that I cannot administer any drugs to Rin-sensei but I can tell that this labour will take some time.” Sakura nodded again. “Well, I’m off to change and I’ll be right back with the necessary tools for this.”
She was back in soon, with long scrubs and a cart filled with medical equipment. Putting on rubber gloves, Sakura cracked her knuckles.
“You might want to sit down, Kakashi-sensei. This won’t be cute.”
Won’t be cute was an understatement. Rin was in labour for hours, with nothing happening. Sakura, at her wit’s end, considered going in for an emergency C-section. Rin refused, saying it will be time soon. Unfortunately, the Caesarean cut had to do. Finally, Kai Hatake arrived at 2:00 in the morning, pale and screeching. Kakashi started sobbing, opening his arms for his newborn son. Sakura offered Kakashi the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord and he did it with shaking hands. Sakura wrapped Kai up and handed him to Rin. Kakashi took off his mask, tears staining his cheeks. Rin placed the baby gently in Kakashi’s arms, who gave a crooked, tired smile to the little shrieking creature in his arms.
“He’s perfect, Rin.”
“That he is, without a doubt.” Rin smiled, wiping a little tear from her own eyes.
“Congratulations, Mum and Dad.” She grinned. “Now, if you excuse me, I need to weigh, wash and measure our little guy. Oh, and I need to fill out his birth certificate.”
Sakura grabbed a blank template, writing down the names of the parents with the biggest smile she ever had. Stamping it, she handed it to Kakashi and Rin for signatures and went outside with the tiny one. Once she returned, she already saw a couple of nurses handling Rin and Kakashi. Her old sensei jumped up and opened his arms. Sakura handed newborn Kai to Kakashi and waved them good night. Today was a good day.
Sakura croaked her eyes open, disgusted at the sheer fact she was awake already. It was just six in the morning when she left her house and put on the customary Chūnin uniform, with a red skirt because she is Sakura, after all. Pacing to the administrative building that contained the Hokage and his staff, Sakura slammed the door designed for staff workers, guards and others who are not on a mission wide open. Kotetsu was snoring loudly behind the counter, so Sakura kicked the fucker awake.
Kotetsu jumped up. "Oh, it's just you. Go to the office, the Hokage is expecting you."
"It's just you!" Sakura screeched with jagged teeth threatening to cut the desk-potato's throat.
"Man, you're just like Princess Tsunade. Or Lady Kushina. Whatever they put in the water here…"
Sakura spun on the heel of her knee-high boots (courtesy of Shizune who thought Sakura deserves to feel hot even when she's shattering a man's skull open like a walnut) and walked up the stairs destined for the office of the main ninja in the land. The man she grew to know as Uncle Minato, Naruto's dad, Kushina's himbo and protector of the Hidden Leaf was about to boss her around. Minato was nothing like his obnoxious child, where his wife and child were all in bright colours and fireworks, Minato was muted shades and masked thoughts. For the love of the Gods, she couldn't figure out what the man was thinking at any given moment. His face, a solemn mask of kindness, hiding the reality and horror of his job. Sakura bypassed the ANBU, whose eyes she felt grazing her already muscular back from carrying Naruto and Sasuke's mental cargo around. Rapping at the door, she inhaled deeply. The air tasted sweet. The ANBU with a weasel mask nodded at her and let her in.
The light in the highest office of the land nearly blinded her. The sun itself, Lord Fourth, was sitting behind the desk. Flashing her a sparkling smile, Namikaze nodded at his son's best friend.
"Ah, Sakura. I'm glad you accepted my offer."
A shot of confusion muddled Sakura's thoughts.
"Offer?"
"I told Lady Tsunade to invite you to my office so we can discuss potential employment here at the S-class artefacts department."
"She said you were looking for someone." Sakura deadpanned, marvelling at Tsunade's parenting techniques.
Minato laughed a little. "Well, alright. You might as well come with me. Weasel, is the other candidate here?"
Weasel shook his head and Minato nodded. "His kind is rather lazy." He murmured.
Another ANBU opened the door, letting in a tired Shikamaru Nara in. Oh, that kind is inherently lazy. Shikamaru yawned and waved at the room with such blazé that even Kakashi would blush.
"Sorry I'm late." He said, stretching like a lazy cat. "Asuma-sensei said that you asked for me?"
"I did. Weasel, you can leave now. You two, come with me."
On their way to the basement, Minato explained that the two teenagers had a job to accept, catalogise, analyse and sometimes even decypher artefacts. They would report to the Hokage, Ibiki Morino or Inoichi Yamanaka, otherwise no one else. Their job was somewhat hazardous, albeit with excellent pay and even better recommendations. Shikamaru was looking awfully unimpressed while Sakura was soaking up every information like a sponge.
"Basically, think of yourselves as archaeologists. You two are well-informed, knowledgeable young people. Sakura is here to handle potentially poisoned stuff. Your first task is to go through the remaining files on the First Hokage."
"Why the First?" Shikamaru quipped. "I didn't think we'd have to go that much back in history."
"It's because of the wood style, isn't it?" Sakura said.
"Actually, yes and no. Our intelligence gathered that Suna's poison masters have been working on some advanced concoctions. We haven't been in the best relationship with Suna after you know, you kids made Chūnin. Now, first and foremost, Lord First was a medical ninja."
"Who managed to grow his own plants from chakra to create any poison or antidote."
"You want us to make better poison than the Suna stuff?" Shikamaru asked
"Not poison, antidote." Minato stated.
"Back in the day, Tsunade was the only one who cracked the old poison masters' secrets. Apparently, there is a new kid on the block."
"Do we have a sample?" Sakura asked, mind racing.
"Not yet. We're working on that. You can expect Weasel to bring you a sample in the following month. Now, research, analyse and then report when you think you discovered something." Said the Fourth, disappearing in a flash of yellow. Sakura put her hands on her hips and felt the circles under her eyes gain their circles.
“I hope you like dusty books.”
“No.”
“You’re here because you don’t have to run around the village on a daily basis?”
“Possibly.” Shikamaru drawled, leaning back into the chair by the wooden panel. He stretched his legs and observed Sakura bouncing around like a lazy cat. Sakura cracked her knuckles and started rummaging through the shelves that contained all that sweet, S-class information which was probably illegally and unethically sourced. Sakura was in awe of the detailed and catalogued history of the Hidden Villages and their resources which usually were tightly wrapped secrets. She cracked open a book, authorship by Lord Second, on space-time ninjutsu. Sakura was in awe of the content, but closed the book to observe Shikamaru again, who was looking at the work ahead of them with contempt rivalling Sasuke’s when he saw Naruto mooning people passing by.
“What if we discover something we’re not supposed to discover?” Sakura asked, observing an old, dusty journal.
“Weasel will handle us.” Shikamaru spoke in a long drawl. Sakura laughed. Weasel gave her a secure, familiar feeling. Same with Shikamaru, he gave her a familiar, fond feeling; memories of a happy childhood among tall trees and corny jokes about this year's harvest. Shikamaru was Ino yelling at Chōji for disliking her dress that day, the deer in the Nara lands that they used to feed under the watchful eye of Shikamaru's twinlike father, the rice cakes with strawberries at Naruto's because Aunt Kushina loves to cook… Shikamaru was good. He had a dry wit and a sharp tongue. All things Sakura liked in people. She hoped the Nara boy shared the same type of appreciation. In the following month there were no meetings, only reading through Lord First's diaries and about Suna's craft as poison masters.
Then, one warm and sunny morning, a scratched up Weasel brought a mercurial vial that shined under the light. It looked almost like a piece of jewellery if it wasn't so deadly. Sakura thought it looked almost poetic in it's deadly beauty. She had to put some respect on the master's name because they were skilled.
"You know a lot about poison as a medic in training, right?" Shikamaru stated, staring at the vial.
"Yup. I'm wondering what kind of poison they can harvest in Sunagakure that they can find in large quantities, that is just that strong to take out an entire army and that they have the resources to make it."
"Let's start from the beginning then. We need to think like Suna nin. Their village is stuck in a desert. What can grow on such soil that is sustainable and can regenerate quickly if the poison has a natural source?"
"Well. There are poisonous cacti, but… They grow on their own, their poison is weak and they grow very slowly."
"And growing plants is unrealistic there because you'd need loads of greenhouses." Shikamaru retorted, scratching his cheek. "What about insects?"
"Ugh, you'd need to grow those too. Like recreate their habitats in order for them to breed. Catching them wouldn't be sufficient. Not all insects survive in the heat of deserts. I'm thinking of a couple, but none of them are venomous."
"Then we need to dig more." He sighed. "How do you analyse the sample that you have?"
"Ideally? In a spectrometer. We need to ask the Hokage for that."
"This place's logistics fucking suck."
Sakura laughed and Shikamaru gave her a crooked grin. Naruto's humour was toilet humour, while Sasuke exhibited dangerous amounts of violent jokes and Kakashi was just a sarcastic little shit. Shikamaru's humour had dots of sarcasm and a thick layer of intelligence on it. It was kinda hot. She mentally slapped herself.
"I can check if it's natural just by observing its properties."
She grabbed a piece of rice paper and dropped a little bit of the poison. The paper became bloated and darkened. Sakura observed the poison and was dumbstruck by it's lilac colour and metallic scent.
"It acts like a natural poison but it looks like an artificial one. What on god's green earth?" She asked, clearly confused.
"I see we have a lot of work." He started, picking up the next book. Sakura just sat down and opened the pack of naturalistic diaries by the First Hokage. She figured poison making was her life now. They called it a day and Sakura left for her home. For the first time, with a tiny flutter in her soul.
The next day, Sakura went to the Hokage's office to ask permission for taking the poison out of the building and was greeted by a locked door.
"Lord Fourth is absent." Answered Weasel in a solemn voice.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Do I sound like I'm telling a joke?"
"That was… Never mind." She stated. She decided that Weasel the ANBU has no sense of humour. She wondered if he was one of the Uchiha. Shikamaru was already in their lair, observing the vial.
"I have a feeling that if I were to crack it open and inhale the fumes, it would turn me into a corpse."
"Possibly. Only the most skilled of masters can create airborne poisons." She quipped, sitting down across from her lab rat buddy. Shikamaru was sprawled on the chair like a lazy cat; thighs apart. He casually displayed his arse on state property like he owned it. He toyed with the vial for a while and placed it down before turning to Sakura.
"What's on your mind?"
"Lord Fourth is missing and I cannot for the life of me do shit for this poison thing because this is S-ranked and I'm a little medical rat."
"What's on your mind, Sakura?" He stated, putting an emphasis on her name. It sent a nice gentle shiver down her spine.
"I… I'm afraid people will die if I don't pull through."
"People die all the time. It's irrational to expect to save them all."
"But I have the power to save them this time…"
"This time?"
"My…" She said, a warm tear escaping her face. "My father died of his heart, in his sleep. No one could have saved him, but a medic skilled enough would have noticed it."
"I'm sorry about your old man." He said in a low voice. "But that wasn't your fault. Neither is this. Some bastard is playing god with this poison."
"What am I to a god?" She huffed.
"A scientist." Shikamaru smirked. Sakura smiled back. This time, she had a path. They heard a light tap on the door and a piece of stamped paper appeared underneath. They looked at each other and grinned like devils.
The following days were just the same. Sakura actually put the poison through the spectrometer and the machine couldn't detect if it was a natural concoction or the work of a chemist. She told this to her new partner and he shrugged in confusion.
"Is there any matter in this world that acts just like this or is this new?"
"To be honest… I'm not aware." She felt a little defeated. "You know, I usually solve this kind of a shit in a day." She said in a trembling voice.
"Don't beat yourself up. You're under high pressure." He stated. Sakura was surprised by the splurge of emotional intelligence from this young man. Between Sasuke's alexitimia and Naruto's lack of tact, this was refreshing.
"Thanks, Shika." She breathed out. "Let's call it a day, shall we?" She smiled gently. Shikamaru nodded and they left for the day.
Sakura locked the secret basement up and went to pick up dinner on her way home. She ate alone, her mother was away and the house felt so empty. The beige walls kept her at ease and she slipped into the warmth of the miso soup as she recalled her father cooking it for her when she was little. Her parents had her late, they were almost forty after struggling to have a baby. Then her dad didn't even enjoy her adulthood and possibly meet his grandchildren someday. Sakura washed up and decided to go to bed as early as she could. She slipped into the night and fell asleep. Until she heard noise downstairs.
Sakura jumped up, as if struck by lightning. She heard her mother's mumbling voice downstairs.
"Ino? What happened?"
"Where is your daughter?" She barked.
"Just go upstairs."
Sakura covered her head with a blanket and watched as her door flew down again because of Ino.
"What's the hot gossip?" She croaked, watching Ino climb on her bed. Ino climbed over Sakura and grabbed her head.
"Bitch. Shikamaru mentioned you today."
"We work together, Ino." She groaned, but felt a nice, visceral pinch in the stomach.
"He never mentions anyone, bitch." Ino said. "He called you smart."
"I'm smart!" She affirmed with excitement in her voice.
"He likes you. He fucking likes you."
"No he doesn't."
"He fucking does. You will go there, dress up and make him lose his goddamn mind. I want to see him suffer."
"What the fuck?" Sakura asked.
"I mean…. I want you to find love but I want Shikamaru to suffer because I know he doesn't have the balls to make a move."
"What if I make a move?"
"Do you want to make a move?" Ino asked, touching Sakura's leg. "You need to shave that before you make a move."
"Fuck off." She snorted. "I'm not sure. I haven't even kissed anyone, Ino."
"I don't think he has either. Y'all need to pull through." She said, inspecting her nails. "You know what, fuck it. He probably likes you and you like him back."
"Ino…"
"I said what I said. Go for it."
"I think you're wrong."
"I'm never wrong."
In the morning, Sakura paced like a trembling leaf in the basement. Dressed in her usual uniform, she felt a little festive today and applied rosy coloured lip tint and some blusher on her cheeks. She wondered if it was even visible in the dimmed light of the ugly basement. She paced around, staring at the diary of Lord First. There was a drawing of a lobster that caught her attention. When she looked better, she realised it was a scorpio. A desert scorpio. Her mind started racing. She started reading about the properties of the poison and it clicked.
The poison was not natural. It was artificial and created to imitate the one of a scorpio. She knew how to make scorpio antidote in her sleep. Now, if she just tweaked the formula a little and adjusted for the ingredients she'd crack the case. She heard footsteps and saw her partner looking at her with half-lidded eyes.
"Sakura?"
"Our friend here has been artificially making scorpio poison. The imitation is good because it makes the spectrometer break. I need to tell the Hokage and he needs to send Weasel to catch one of those critters and I can figure out the formula and create an antidote."
"You are a bleeding genius." He said, smacking his forehead. "How skilled do you have to be for that?"
"Tsunade levels."
They raced to the office and Sakura gave her findings to the Hokage. He summoned Weasel and gave him instructions.
"I think I might know who our enemy is, Lord Fourth?" Weasel stated calmly.
"I'm all ears." Minato said. "You too should be too."
"Sasori of the Red Sand, Sir. A poison master that likes to use scorpios as his logo. I wouldn't put it past his hubris to do something like that."
"Shikamaru. Read up on Sasori, you have complete clearance. Sakura, prep the lab. How much will it take you to make an antidote?"
"Less than a week if I have all the ingredients."
"Good." Minato said. "I know why I hired you. We have been tracking this bastard for 3 years and finally…" He looked on the verge of tears. "Go."
They nodded. Sakura walked back with Shikamaru. "I'll help you read up on Sasori. I can't do anything until Weasel brings back a scorpio."
Sasori was a mystery through and through. Konoha had a pathetic amount of data on him, they weren't even sure how old he was. Sakura decided to pack it up for the day because they were quite worn out. Shikamaru locked the cursed basement and Sakura climbed the stairs and Shikamaru paced right behind her, taking an eyeful of her behind. He smirked quietly and made his way next to her poking her in the ribs.
"Are you busy after this?"
"Yeah, I have hospital paperwork." She gave him a pouty face, insinuating something else to come. "Say, want to keep me company? I'll be alone. That is, if you're not busy."
"I'd like that." He confirmed, opening the door of the tower for her. A short moment away, they were in Tsunade's big office and sitting at her scratched up desk that had a suspicious haze that reminded Shikamaru of the smell of seedy bars not so reputable people dwelled at. Sakura started going through the papers and Shikamaru helped her with the paperwork, observing Tsunade's own notes regarding poison symptoms.
"Sakura, is this classified stuff the effects of poison that is made by that Suna shinobi?"
"Yes, yes it is. You weren't supposed to see that…" She flushed, observing the hard effects of being poisoned. "The poison destroys cell membranes. That's why it's so lethal."
Shikamaru almost winced. "You know, even for chemical warfare, that is brutal."
"I see shit like that every day." She said with disgust coating her voice. "Even Sasuke flinches at some shit that happens here on a regular basis. He hates getting stitches."
"What a wuss."
Sakura giggled a little. "He loves acting tough but he is as much of a priss as Naruto. Naruto goes pale at the sight of open breakages of limbs."
"How did they even graduate?" He snorted. "I always wondered how you handle being their teammate."
"By ensuring they behave." She said in a grimm tone. "I was really afraid to be in the same team as the Hokage's only son and an Uchiha. They had an inhumane advantage over me."
"But you pulled through."
"I guess. For you it's different, you have to be the gravity of Ino-Shika-Chō. Ino and Chōji have the self-restraint of a toddler."
"Tell me about it. Between Ino's sheer cattiness and Chōji's gluttony, we have quite the dynamics. Sensei has been quite absent since the baby, so we're basically tied up in ourselves. They're family I guess."
"I know. That's why your team dynamic fascinates me." She spoke, sipping water. "Naruto and Sasuke are sort of like my dumb brothers."
"Naruto suffers from only-child disorder. Sasuke suffers from second-son disorder."
"Shikamaru!" Sakura laughed, pushing his arm. Shikamaru's lips curled into an evil little smile. However, it was even better to see Sakura crack a smile. With the pressure she's been suffering under, seeing her act like a normal teenager was almost soothing.
"Where is she even?" Sakura mumbled, wondering where her drunken mentor was. She prayed for Jiraiya's bones, because usually when she's absent for this long, it means that Jiraiya is getting his spine turned into a necklace. Shikarmaru leaned forward.
"Say, do you want to get out of here? We're almost done with this insanity of a project."
"I'd love that." She smiled, getting up. The sun was setting over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, lulling the residents to sleep. Sakura loved sunsents, her father used to say that sunsets were pink to honour her hair. She learned that it wasn't the case when she learned about the physics of sunsets in the Academy. She leaned closer to Shikamaru, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, well, neck-to-shoulder with him. He had grown, he was already so tall. She liked tall boys, always. Which was pretty ironic since she was stuck with teammates who had stunted growths. Just a week ago Sasuke went on a rant about how he's still shorter than his older brother. Then Naruto called him a troll and they got into an argument over who has the uglier face.
"Are you hungry?
"Sort off." Shikamaru said. "I don't really like Ichiraku's." He confessed.
"Me too." She whispered. "I'm forced to go there because ramen is the only thing Naruto's sorry ass will eat. Aunt Kushina told me that ramen was all she craved during her pregnancy and ramen was all the toddler Naruto accepted to eat."
"Oh Gods, toddler Naruto." Shikamaru winced. "Imagine that nightmare."
She giggled. "I know, I know. On a happier note, are you for some barbeque?"
"That is usually what we eat when we're with Chōji, and to be frank, I'm sick of it. I want some miso soup and to take a 17-hour long nap."
"I have some miso soup at home." Sakura remembered. "My mum made some before she left this morning. Come along."
They drifted into the civilian district where Sakura lived. To Shikamaru's surprise, Sakura lived in a large townhouse that had a small garden and a cherry tree next to the entrance. The soft beige colour made the house blend with the neighbourhood, but he imagined that when the tree was in full bloom like it will be soon, the not so humble abode of the Haruno family must be a shining jewel of the quart. Shikamaru recognised this part as the nicest part of the civilian district, namely, wealthy merchants and business owners lived here. Top Jōnin patrol these parts of the village because this is the home of the village's economic artery. Sakura unlocked the door and said "Welcome" as she led him into the clean and spacious house.
The house had 4 floors, a ground floor with large, glass windows instead of paper ones that led into the back garden, then a large closet for what he presumed were shoes and jackets. A wooden staircase led them to the first floor, where a big living room took over for most of the floor. There was a connected dining room made out of honey coloured wood, with six matching chairs. The wall across the window was adorned with a framed estamp of a garden and the cupboard in the corner was crowned with a couple of family pictures. Sakura pointed him to the hallway, which led to one of the biggest kitchens he'd ever seen.
The kitchen was a dark green colour, tastefully decorated, with gold embellishments. He knew that Chōji would die for this kind of space. Sakura placed a pot on the table and started warming the soup up. She pulled out two bowls, two spoons and some rice. She gestured for Shikamaru to wash his hands in the sink.
"Are you okay with us eating here, at the small table,or do you want to move to the dining room?"
"It's fine here." Shikamaru said, nodding. Sakura served them the soup and they started eating.
"I didn't know your family was this rich." He commented, observing what his father would call some fancy rooms.
"I wouldn't say that." She shrugged. "My parents were successful merchants and managed to retire at 45. This house was entirely designed by my mother and she adores every corner here. It feels really empty since Dad is gone."
"I imagine." He said, feeling sad for Sakura. "You never seemed to brag about your wealth."
"It's nothing to brag about. I mean this is just my home." She grinned at him and they did the dishes together.
"Do you want to go upstairs, to my room? I don't like hanging around in the living room."
"That's okay." He shrugged, not really caring where they were as long as she was there, by his side. They climbed the stairs and Sakura explained that her parents' room and bathroom were on the second floor and that she practically had a whole floor to herself.
Sakura's floor was painted in light, rosy shades; she had bookshelves and sofas for reading, alongside a large desk that had piles and piles of documents. She pointed to a closed door, saying that she sleeps there. They sat down on the couch, eyeing each other like two cats hungry for the cream.
“Say, Sakura…” Shikamaru drawled, observing her through half-lidded eyes. “Are you bored sometimes?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you feel like the world isn’t challenging your brain enough?”
Sakura blinked. “I know what you mean. But then again, I’m afraid of the events that would challenge my brain. Or yours.” She mumbled. For a brief moment, Shikamaru thought Sakura would make an excellent Hokage.
Sakura’s good old ninja senses were shaken up once she heard the door in the mudroom open, meaning her mother had arrived home. Shikamaru jumped up, slightly startled. For what felt like the first time in his life, a flush covered his body, from forehead to navel. Sakura opened the window, gesturing to him to get out. Shikamaru climbed on the wooden frame, leaning forward. He wanted to apologise or something, but then he heard a strong, female voice from downstairs.
“Sakura, are you home, darling?”
The girl in question considered punching herself in the face for this insolence. Shikamaru, observing Sakura’s face contorted in discomfort and awkwardness, leaned forward. Sakura’s eyebrow rose, as if to ask if what is the next piece he will pull on this board game. Without hesitation, Shikamaru pushed his hooked index finger under her chin, pressing a quick kiss on her lips. Sakura’s entire body felt as if it was zapped, eyes wide open. Shikamaru winked.
“What took you so long?” She asked, suddenly bold.
“I wanted to see your house first, at least.” He shrugged nonchalantly. Green eyes rolled like pretty little marbles, making him regret his answer a little bit.
“See you soon, Sakura.” He said slowly, mouthing every word.
“See you soon, Shikamaru.” The Nara heir jumped out of the window, catching the last sight of his girl through the thick glass window. He saw a curtain of pink disappearing in the hallway. He slid down their neighbour’s fancy looking roof and continued by foot. Shikamaru let a long, drawn out breath out and kissed his teeth. He suddenly felt 4 inches taller. Walking with a swagger worthy of the Second Hokage in his pace, he made his way home. On the way to the Nara compound, he saw Asuma-sensei enjoying a smoke outside of his house. Shikamaru figured the missus wouldn't allow him to smoke inside of their little nest, now that she was almost ready to give birth. Asuma inhaled a whiff of the expensive cancer stick, observing his student like a lazy cat.
“What are you doing out so late?”
“Good evening, Asuma-sensei.” He almost snorted out.
“I’m actually going home.” He yawned. “I can’t wait to get into bed.” As if he’d get any sleep tonight. As if he won’t spend the night replaying the kiss in his mind until the sun rises. Sakura successfully buried herself right in his head, right between shogi and naps. Sakura was, in fact, much prettier than shogi and quite a bit more soothing and entertaining than a nap. Shikamaru supposed his head will be filled with rosy coloured hair and the scent of jasmine and vanilla.
“Are you high?” Asuma asked, squinting his eyes. “You know I need to report that to HQ if you do that.”
“That was a bad joke, sensei.”
“I know. You just look dazed. Like a wind blew through you.”
“I guess I’m just a little tired.” He stretched, releasing tension from his back. “Must be the growing pains.”